This healthy kale quinoa chickpea salad has so much delicious flavor!
Kale Quinoa Chickpea Salad
This kale salad is full of beautiful colors, textures and flavors. It’s healthy, uses simple ingredients, and can be served as a dinner side dish or a light lunch.
This recipe is very simple to make, but does require a bit of prep. First, quinoa will need to be cooked in advance and then cooled off before it’s added to the salad. Second, my favorite homemade honey mustard dressing is used, but can be made in 5 minutes.
Once these two things are prepped, everything is tossed together in a large salad bowl and ready to serve!
Recipe Ingredients
- 1 bunch of kale – de-stemmed and chopped (approx. 8 cups)
- ½ Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup cooked quinoa – cooled
- 1 cup canned chickpeas – drained and rinsed
- 1 cup canned lentils – drained and rinsed
- ½ cup diced cucumber
- ½ cup carrots
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- ¼ cup roasted pepitas
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 2 Tbsp chopped dill
Honey Mustard Dressing:
- 1 cup olive oil
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp honey
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Kitchen Equipment Used
- Salad spinner
- Salad serving spoons – great for mixing the ingredients and serving
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons – this magnetic set sticks together in the drawer to keep things more organized.
To Make Quinoa:
- Add 1 cup uncooked quinoa and 2 cups water to a pot over medium-high heat. Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to let it simmer until the quinoa has soaked up all the water. Do not stir during this time.
- Remove the pot from the heat, and let it sit covered for 10 minutes. Then fluff with a fork. Let the quinoa cool completely before adding to the salad. You’ll need 1 cup cooked quinoa for the salad recipe.
How To Make Kale Quinoa Chickpea Salad
Full ingredients and instructions are also in the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post.
STEP 1: Rip 1 bunch of kale leaves from the stems. Rip them into smaller bite-size pieces. Wash the kale leaves using a salad spinner or by rinsing in a strainer and wrapping in a kitchen towel to dry. Add them to a large bowl.
STEP 2: Add ½ Tbsp olive oil plus a pinch of salt to the bowl. Use your hands to squeeze and massage the kale for 3-5 minutes. This will break down the kale leaves and make it much easier to chew!
STEP 3: Now add 1 cup cooked quinoa, 1 cup canned chickpeas, 1 cup canned lentils, ½ cup diced cucumber, ½ cup chopped carrots, ½ cup crumbled feta cheese, ⅓ cup diced red onion, ¼ cup roasted pepitas, ¼ cup chopped parsley and 2 Tbsp chopped dill to the large bowl. Toss everything together.
STEP 4: Make Honey Mustard Dressing – In a mason jar or medium bowl, mix together 1 cup olive oil, ½ cup lemon juice, 2 Tbsp dijon mustard, 2 Tbsp honey, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp ground black pepper.
Note: You will have some extra salad dressing left over. Use in future salads or as a marinade for your chicken!
STEP 5: Pour ½ cup honey mustard dressing over the salad and toss together until evenly mixed. Taste and add more salad dressing if needed. Salad is now ready to serve!
Recipe Tips
- Make sure to massage the kale before preparing the salad (see “step 2” in instructions). This makes a big difference in the kale texture. It’s definitely worth the extra step!
- Chop all vegetables into very small bite-size pieces.
- Consider cooking the quinoa in advance and storing in the fridge. This will allow it enough time to cool before adding it to the salad.
- For maximum freshness wait to add the dressing until just before you plan to serve. The dressing can be prepped and stored in a mason jar in advance, and the salad can be prepped without dressing and stored covered in the fridge. This salad tastes best when served fresh.
How To Store Leftovers
- Refrigerate – Because kale is a more hearty green, this salad will keep for up to 3-4 days in the fridge stored in an airtight container.
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Ingredients
- 1 bunch of kale - de-stemmed and chopped (approx. 8 cups)
- ½ Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup cooked quinoa - cooled
- 1 cup canned chickpeas - drained and rinsed
- 1 cup canned lentils - drained and rinsed
- ½ cup diced cucumber
- ½ cup carrots
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- ¼ cup roasted pepitas
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 2 Tbsp chopped dill
Honey Mustard Dressing:
- 1 cup olive oil
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp honey
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
To Make Quinoa:
- Add 1 cup uncooked quinoa and 2 cups water to a pot over medium-high heat. Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to let it simmer until the quinoa has soaked up all the water. Do not stir during this time.
- Remove the pot from the heat, and let it sit covered for 10 minutes. Then fluff with a fork. Let the quinoa cool completely before adding to the salad. You’ll need 1 cup cooked quinoa for the salad recipe.
To Make Honey Mustard Dressing:
- In a mason jar or medium bowl, mix together 1 cup olive oil, ½ cup lemon juice, 2 Tbsp dijon mustard, 2 Tbsp honey, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp ground black pepper.
Assemble The Salad:
- Rip 1 bunch of kale leaves from the stems. Rip them into smaller bite-size pieces. Wash the kale leaves using a salad spinner or by rinsing in a strainer and wrapping in a kitchen towel to dry. Add them to a large bowl.
- Add ½ Tbsp olive oil plus a pinch of salt to the bowl. Use your hands to squeeze and massage the kale for 3-5 minutes. This will break down the kale leaves and make it much easier to chew!
- Now add 1 cup cooked quinoa, 1 cup canned chickpeas, 1 cup canned lentils, ½ cup diced cucumber, ½ cup chopped carrots, ½ cup crumbled feta cheese, ⅓ cup diced red onion, ¼ cup roasted pepitas, ¼ cup chopped parsley and 2 Tbsp chopped dill to the large bowl. Toss everything together.
- Pour ½ cup honey mustard dressing over the salad and toss together until evenly mixed. Taste and add more salad dressing if needed. Salad is now ready to serve!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.